Coding Workflow
Follow these 8 steps every time you sit down to code
The value of this process depends entirely on your scores being genuinely independent. Do not look at, discuss, or compare scores with other coders until Step 5.
Open your assigned coder tab
Work only in your own sheet. Do not look at or compare scores with other coders until Step 5.
Enter the post metadata
Post metadata will be pre-populated. Enter the date of coding. Do not summarise or edit a post.
Decide whether to skip any dimensions
Before scoring, ask: does this post contain content relevant to this dimension? If not, change to SKIP.
Score each active indicator
Work left to right. For each indicator, select a score (0–4). After completing all five indicators, enter your Confidence rating.
Compare scores on the Reliability tab
After ALL THREE coders finish, open the Reliability tab together. Scores appear automatically.
Adjudicate disagreements
Look for Discuss flags (differences > 1 point). Discuss as a team and agree on a final score.
Check reliability statistics
Your target is 70% exact agreement or higher. If below, review your coding before submitting.
Save and submit
Save the completed file to the shared drive as instructed by your supervisor.
The Confidence Column
After entering scores for all five indicators in a dimension, rate your overall confidence:
High Confidence
You are certain about all five scores. The post was clear and the indicators applied straightforwardly.
Medium Confidence
You are fairly sure, but one or two indicators were ambiguous. You made a judgement call.
Low Confidence
The post was genuinely difficult to score. Multiple indicators were ambiguous, or the post was very short, unusual, or culturally unclear.
Do not default to Medium out of habit. Be honest about uncertainty. Low confidence scores are not a failure — they are important data.
The Skip Function — When a Dimension Doesn't Apply
SKIP means: there is simply no content in this post that allows meaningful scoring on this dimension.
It does NOT mean the post scores poorly on this dimension.
A post congratulating a friend on their birthday has no political content. You might skip all four dimensions.
A post that has no empathy at all still gets a score of 0 on the Empathy indicators. Do not skip just because the post scores badly.
Your target is 70% exact agreement or higher (Krippendorff's α ≥ 0.70). This is the standard threshold used across social science research for content analysis.